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Avalanche in the highest Slovak mountain range kills 2 Hungarian climbers

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — An avalanche in Slovakia’s High Tatras mountain range killed two Hungarians, the country’s mountain rescue service said Friday. It said the two were male climbers age 38 and 37.

The service said bad weather prevented them from using a helicopter and they had to reach a valley under the Tupa peak, where the avalanche took place, on foot.

The victims were located under the avalanche by witnesses but they did not survive.

On Friday, there was only a slight danger of avalanches in Slovakia’s highest mountain range.

Beijing bans 4 New Zealand lawmakers from entering China because they visited Taiwan

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Beijing banned four New Zealand lawmakers from traveling to China for a year and demanded they apologize because they visited Taiwan on a parliamentary trip, according to a message from the Chinese embassy conveyed via parliamentary officials and shown to The Associated Press on Thursday. China has hit lawmakers from other countries with sanctions related to contact with Taiwan before, but it's the first time for New Zealand parliamentarians, the government in Wellington said. Beijing has been increasing pressure in recent years on the democratically governed island that it claims as its own territory. Two lawmakers reached by the AP on Thursday rejected the demand for an apology, while the other two could not be immediately reached. New Zealand's government said it would express concern about the travel bans to Beijing. The elected officials visited Taipei in May, as New Zealand parliamentarians have done “for decades,” a spokesperson for Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement.
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